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Paige Urges Schools to Join Simultaneous National Pledge of Allegiance

Secretary Paige urges America's more than 100,000 schools to join in simultaneous nationwide Pledge of Allegiance on Friday. Included: A link to Paige's letter to school principals.

U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige is urging America's 52 million public and private elementary and secondary school students to participate in Pledge Across America, a nationwide, synchronized Pledge of Allegiance on Friday, October 12.

"Teachers in every community in America have been working with students to help them understand what happened on September 11 and to overcome their fears and concerns," Paige wrote in a letter to school principals. "They have also worked to teach them more about our proud and rich national history and the foundations of our free society.

"Today, I ask students, teachers, parents and other proud Americans across the country to join me in showing our patriotism by reciting the Pledge of Allegiance at a single time and with a unified voice this Friday," Paige said. "Together, we can send a loud and powerful message that will be heard around the world: America is 'one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.'"

The synchronized Pledge of Allegiance will begin at 2 p.m. eastern daylight savings time, 1 p.m. central daylight savings time, noon mountain daylight savings time, 11 a.m. Pacific daylight savings time, 10 a.m. in Alaska, and 8 a.m. in Hawaii. Paige will be participating in the Pledge Across America with students from a Washington (D.C.) area school.

Pledge Across America is being organized by Celebration USA, a nonprofit organization whose "purpose is to teach children the basic principles of American democracy and to invigorate patriotism."